Traditionally eye glasses are manufactured consisting of an eye glass frame that supports or attaches two lenses to the eye glass frames. The eye glass frames are formed to fit around the lenses and the nose. The eye glass stems attach to the eye glass frames and are curved to fit over the left and right ear on a person's head. Eye glasses come in various sizes and different weights and are a fashionable as well as a functional item. Since eye glasses main function is to improve a person's eyesight, the glasses need to be comfortable and fit correctly on a person's head.
Hearing aids were developed to improve a person's hearing and come in a variety of shapes and forms. A hearing aid can be formed so the hearing aid controls fits directly into the ear drum and is secured by the outer ear firmly securing the hearing aid into the ear. Another form of a hearing aid is attached to an ear hanger and the hearing aid mechanism. Here the hearing aid mechanism is located outside the inner ear and a rigid ear hanger extends from the hearing aid around the ear to firmly hold the hearing aid mechanism in place. The rigid ear hangers come in a variety of sizes and shapes to conform to a person's ear. Another form of hearing aid is when the volume control and the hearing mechanism are located the behind the ear. This type of hearing aid has a hollow flexible tube that carries the sound from the hearing aid mechanism to an ear cushion. The ear cushion is secured into to the ear to hold the hearing aid in place. The flexible tube type hearing aid is designed so the flexible tube fits around the top of a person's ear so that the flexible tube acts an ear hanger holding the hearing aid in place.
Other types of hearing devices are presently being used to allow a person to hear various types of sound transmissions directly into their ear without having to hold the mechanism to their ear. For example, radios and CD players have flexible cords that extend from the transmitters to the ear cushions at the end of the flexible cords. Other types of sound transmission devices have microphones attached to a head band. The microphones are receivers and transmit the sound directly to the ear. In addition, Bluetooth devices receive a telephone call directly from a portable telephone and transmit the telephone call to a receiver that typically has an ear hook attached to the receiver.
There have been several attempts to install a hearing device directly onto eye glasses allowing the eye glasses to support the hearing device. One attempt was to mount the hearing device and receivers directly into the frame of the eye glasses making the eye glasses and hearing devices with transmitter all as one unit. Other units have specially designed connections transmitters or hearing devices that attach directly to the eye glass stems.
There are various types of securing devices that have been installed on eye glasses over the years. Howard in U.S. Pat. No. 7,192,136 & U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,410 has a connector that attaches the eye glasses to the eye glass stem which is then tethered to a cord that fits behind a person's neck to prevent the eye glasses from falling off ones face. In addition components have been installed within the eye glasses to transmit sound. In Davancens, U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,264, Fuller, U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,604 and Mackay U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,619 all have securing devices that are installed on the eye glass, but only to secure the eye glasses to a cord for preventing the lost of the eye glasses.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,345 Urwyler has an earphone assembly that comprises a flexible cord from the eye glasses with a microphone extending to the ear and earphone wires extending to a transmitter. The flexible cord has slits that slide into the eye glass stems of the eye glasses. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,234 by Glezerman uses a mounting mechanism that is attached to eye glasses along with the transmitter. An ear hanger can also be interchanged with the mounting mechanism to attach the transmitter to the ear should a person not be wearing eye glasses. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,461,936 by Jannard uses a coupling that wraps around the eyeglass stem to secure the transmitter to the eye glasses. The coupling has a clasp type mechanism that closes over the eyeglass stem securing the transmitter to the eye glasses. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,659 by Lang has an ear hook that fits over the ear and supports a flexible cable that hangs below a hearing device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,876 by Levy, U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,009 by Warren and U.S. Pat. No. 7,458,682 by Lee have the microphone, transmitter, speaker, receiver and power source all mounted within the frame of the eye glasses and or eyeglass stems. The one piece eye glass construction does not allow for the eye glasses to be used for other functions.
There are many different types of hearing devices on the market today. Wireless headsets like U.S. Pat. No. 7,356,156 by Ruegg have just load speakers attached to the ear with no ear hangers. Wireless earphones like U.S. Pat. No. 7,231,056 by Chen or U.S. Pat. No. 7,106,877 by Linville are earphones with a speaker attached and have an ear hanger attached to the earphone. Headphones with head straps like U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,806 by Engelhard have headphones attached to a head band connecting the two headphones at each ear. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,905 by Chun has a earphone support comprising a pair of curved ear contact supports for speakers or microphones that have no other means of support. A flexible hearing aid like U.S. Pat. No. 7,027,608 by Fretz uses the sound transmission tube as an ear hanger. Some solid hearing aids come in the shape of an ear hanger like U.S. Pat. No. 6,625,290 by Dittli.
There are many different types of eye glass holders that have connectors attached to the eyeglass stems, however all of these connectors have some type of strap that fits tight on the head or loose around the neck securing the eye glasses to the connector. The purpose of all these connectors is to have a strap or chain hold the eye glasses around a person's head or neck and to keep the eye glasses from getting lost or misplaced. None of these connectors for the eye glass holders we patented to hold a hearing device in place on the eye glasses.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,795 & U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,934 by Seron have a flexible clasp that fits onto the eyeglass stem with a slider ring to adjust the grip on the glasses and a clasp to attach a beaded chain. Seron second patent is similar with a different connection for attaching a head strap. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,907 by Kiapos the eye glass retainer coupling was a stretchable plastic closed look with a spring and a coupling to install a beaded chain. In Napier U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,466 the fashion frame chain holder has a plastic cord, a bead that fits around the plastic cord to a crimp end that holds a flexible necklace. Another end fastener for eyeglass holders is U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,938 by Davancens uses an elongated elastomeric body having a double-tapered slot for installing the eyeglass stems plus a hole and a connecting ring, eyelets, cord end caps and a cord connecting the two end fasteners. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,632 by Chang the eyeglass fastening device uses rubber ring that attach to the eyeglass stems plus connecting piece, extension fingers and decorative connection for fastening belt around a person's head.
Another type of holding device in US D370,023 by Torrey has a medallion with a clasp that is attached to eye glasses and a cord attached to the clasp to keep the eye glasses around a person's neck.